'flu jab time

For the last 2 years I have felt terrible after having it. Fingers crossed for this year.

The first (an last) one I had made me cough so badly I thought I had whooping cough. DH was so poorly he ended up in hospital.

We don't want that again so we give it a miss.

Of course - I never miss the flu jab and have never had an adverse reaction.

I have had this for decades, as they were done at work. I have continued since I retired and have never had a problem - except that last year it was apparently the wrong strain!

My husband had proper flu once (not just man flu). He doesn't remember anything about it but I looked after him and didn't catch it. I had had the flu jab as I have asthma.

He is normally a lovely husband but turns into a devil if he is ill. I remember feeling his forehead and then waking him up to drink a pint of water and take some aspirin. I expected a torrent of abuse but he meekly did as he was told and went back to sleep. He must have been bad!

I am 66 and have never had a flu jab. Do they send for you or do you have to book one? I am not keen on having one. I have heard some stories about reactions and I have never had flu and haven't had a cold, sore throat, etc for well over 30 years. I do appreciate however, how serious flu can be, especially for older folk.

I had a very bad local site reaction to both the shingles jab and pneumonia jab which was put down to the medium the vaccine was suspended in. I have been advised to avoid jabs as a result so will not be having the 'flu jab.

We were invited to book ours back in early July - admittedly booking for October, but could I seriously be expected to think that far ahead?

articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/10/17/dangerous-new-ineffective-flu-vaccine-released-for-seniors.aspx

I have had a flu jab for at least the last 8 or 9 years as DH. is on immunosuppressants and as a teacher I was in danger of bringing bugs home, so I thought I was doing the right thing and believe(d) flu jabs continued to be a Good Thing even since my retirement.
However , having just seen the above . . How reassured am I by this?
I understand the choice of jab may be optional, anybody know enough to judge the pro's and cons?

I always had one at work. No adverse reaction. No bother really. I do have exceptionally sensitive skin (can't remember the name for it) and expected problems but nothing happened and no flu! I had real flu 10 years ago and was v ill. Scary! Have the jab!

I've been on immuno suppressants for almost 20 years so the flu jab has been part of my life. I've never had a bad reaction but I did have flu over the millennium holiday. Thanks for the link Alea, I'll ask which jab we're getting

I've paid to have them for years and will avail myself of the free one when i get to that (rapidly approaching) age.
Influenza is a horrible illness and puts thousands in hospital every year. Who needs it? At best you'll feel lousy for several days and it will trash a month of your life. Well worth paying £10-15 once a year IMO.
The annual vaccine tackles the strains that WHO thinks are most likely to circulate - some years they are better at predicting than others.
Last winter I had the prevailing "flu like illness" which was not caused by a true influenza virus I think. I was reminded just how fed up a nasty winter virus can make you, even if you are not ill in bed.

(Boots do them or ASDA is usually the cheapest if you have one with a pharmacy near you)

If I'm offered it, I'll have it. If I'm not offered it because I'm considered to be at low risk by my "health professionals", I'm happy to trust their judgment.

I did have one, after being offered it by my GP practice, a few years ago after being diagnosed as asthmatic. Since then I have been undiagnosed as asthmatic and have not been offered any more flu jabs.

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Mercola
I would research Mercola's claims very thoroughly.

Roll on the day when this jab becomes available. As it is, our practice sends out a message about the two Saturdays when the jab will be available in the autumn. Then we all queue up for a 'conveyor belt' operation when all the nurses and HCAs arm themselves with syringes and jab, jab, jab... utilising several of the doctors' consulting rooms. It's quite a social occasion!

Fat lot of good to anyone, last year's was. Hope they manage better this year.

katek www.alternet.org/personal-health/four-biggest-quacks-plaguing-america-their-bad-claims-about-science

Researchers say they are closer to developing a vaccine to give life-long protection against any type of flu www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-34038808 instead of targeting particular variations.

Thanks for link Elegran-have come across him before. Not the best person for vaccine advice!!

The problem with these TV "personality" medicos is that they get themselves so much publicity for their wild crackpot theories. Because they have no much exposure, and so many celebs air their faces on the shows to praise the many stones they have lost overnight with this new diet of eating only pink food by the light of the new moon (or whatever the latest is) Joe or Jemima Public can be fooled into thinking that they are real experts.

Meanwhile the real researchers are ignored because it is "just another theory"

Here is another link, katek Some very interesting information on Mercola's business interests and marketing claims.
www.quackwatch.org/11Ind/mercola.html

A quote from the page about FDA warnings to Mercola (sorry, rather long, but not everyone follows links, and this should be read by all who are in danger of being taken in by his claims):-

"FDA Warnings

In 2005, the FDA ordered Mercola and his Optimal Wellness Center to stop making illegal claims for products sold through his Web site . The claims to which the FDA objected involved three products:

Living Fuel Rx, claimed to offer an "exceptional countermeasure" against cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, autoimmune diseases, etc.
Tropical Traditions Virgin Coconut Oil, claimed to reduce the risk of heart disease and has beneficial effects against Crohn's disease, irritable bowel syndrome, and many infectious agents
Chlorella, claimed to fight cancer and normalize blood pressure.

In 2006, the FDA sent Mercola and his center a second warning that was based on product labels collected during an inspection at his facility and on claims made on the Optimum Wellness Center Web site. This time the claims to which the FDA objected involve four products:

Vibrant Health Research Chlorella XP, claimed to "help to virtually eliminate your risk of developing cancer in the future."
Fresh Shores Extra Virgin Coconut Oil, claimed to reduce the risk of heart disease, cancer, and degenerative diseases.
Momentum Health Products Vitamin K2, possibly useful in treating certain kinds of cancer and Alzheimer's disease.
Momentum Health Products Cardio Essentials Nattokinase NSK-SD, claimed to be "a much safer and effective option than aspirin and other pharmaceutical agents to treating heart disease."

The warning letters explained that the use of such claims in the marketing of these products violates the Federal Food Drug and Cosmetic Act, which bans unapproved claims for products that are intended for curing, mitigating, treating, or preventing of diseases. (Intended use can be established through product labels, catalogs, brochures, tapes, Web sites, or other circumstances surrounding the distribution of the product.)

In 2011, the FDA ordered Mercola to stop making claims for thermography that go beyond what the equipment he uses (Medtherm2000 infrared camera) was cleared for. The warning letter said that statements on Mercola's site improperly imply that the Meditherm camera can be used alone to diagnose or screen for various diseases or conditions associated with the breast, they also represent that the sensitivity of the Meditherm Med2000 Telethermographic camera is greater than that of machines used in mammography. The statements to which the FDA objected included:

"Revolutionary and Safe Diagnostic Tool Detects Hidden Inflammation: Thermography"
"The Newest Safe Cancer Screening Tool"
"[b]ecause measuring inflammation through thermal imaging is a proactive, preventative method you can use for detecting disease, which significantly improves your chances for longevity and good health."
Additionally, thermograms provide: "Reliable and accurate information for diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis¦"
"Yes, it's true. Thermograms provide you with early diagnosis and treatment assistance in such problems as cancer, inflammatory processes, neurological and vascular dysfunction, and musculoskeletal injury."
Thermography can benefit patients by detecting conditions including: Arthritis: "[d]ifferentiate between osteoarthritis and more severe forms like rheumatoid." Immune Dysfunction, Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue, "Digestive Disorders: Irritable bowel syndrome, diverticulitis, and Crohn's disease…" and "Other Conditions: including bursitis, herniated discs, ligament or muscle tear, lupus, nerve problems, whiplash, stroke screening, cancer and many, many others."

From my link at 26-Aug-15 10:38:54 "Mercola is not a strict medical doctor, but an osteopath who practiced in suburban Chicago (according to Chicago magazine, he gave up his practice in 2006 to focus on Internet marketing)"

It makes very interesting reading Elegran. I first came across Mercola when doing some research on childhood vaccines, autism and thimerosal. Wouldn't trust anything he has to say far let alone follow any recommendations.

He is not the only health shark.